#295700 - 26/03/2007 04:16
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: MarkM]
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enthusiast
Registered: 29/03/2005
Posts: 364
Loc: Probably lost somewhere in Wal...
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Quote:
Shallow depth of field examples...just for fun.
Me too:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~schido/fotos/Kamp%20Vught/slides/DSC_0947%20sRGB.html
Edit: with the excellent cheap (±$99) nikon 50/1.8 lens
Edited by Schido (26/03/2007 08:11)
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Empeg Mk1 #00177, 2.00 final, hijack 4.76
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#295701 - 26/03/2007 21:55
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: Schido]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 15/01/2002
Posts: 1866
Loc: Austin
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#295702 - 27/03/2007 02:07
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: MarkM]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
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Quote:
pictures take a turn for the worse
Not possible, hahaha. Read on:
I saw some problem pictures taken with our existing P&S camera which caused the request for a DSLR. Outdoor shots were decent, but oddly fuzzy up close while perfectly sharp in the distance. Inside groups shots were "double exposed" and close ups were, well, trippy; a sharp image blured together with massive motion blur.
When checked the EXIF data in the (Canon S45) camera's software, I nearly cried when I saw:
Outdoor shots were taken in "landscape" mode, with its infinite focus and nonstandard aperature.
Indoor shots were taken in "night" mode, with its overpowered flash and 1/8 sec shutter speed.
Nobody ever asked me why their pictures looked bad, they just wanted a new camera. I bet the old S45 will take 90% decent pictures just by setting it on Auto and properly using auto focus.
To that end, I'm not getting the Pentax but, at my co-workers researched recommendation, a Panasonic Lumix. It's kind of P&S (in price, too), but it's got image stabilization and 12x zoom (both requested features), and a decent range of settings and a seemingly good UI. And it looks kind of like an SLR, which will make 'em happy.
I don't trust Panasonic, but the Lumix seems like a good P&S to solve a non-existant problem and get some bonus features. I'd get the Canon or Olympus "super zoom" cameras in a heartbeat if the didn't use 4x AA batteries. Why!!
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- FireFox31 110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set
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#295703 - 27/03/2007 02:47
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: FireFox31]
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stranger
Registered: 11/12/2000
Posts: 105
Loc: Seattle, WA USA
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That is too funny - I'm laughing with you not at you. I have a 1D Mark II and I can't tell you how many times I've flubbed up the settings. It's usually stuff I've set on a previous shoot, like leaving the camera at ISO 1600 in bright daylight conditions or had set a custom white balance that I forgot to change back to auto.
My wife has a Canon SD500 tiny little digital and the settings are really easy to change by mistake. Especially the flash settings - auto, no flash, red-eye, etc. I try to review my wife's pictures and settings frequently.
Looks like the Panasonic has what you're looking for with some nice features.
When you're traveling, standard batteries are handy.
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#295704 - 27/03/2007 07:49
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: MarkM]
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old hand
Registered: 14/04/2002
Posts: 1172
Loc: Hants, UK
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I've taken a few shots with incorrect settings - mainly a higher ISO. I now use the "info" button (on the 300D) to review the settings each time before taking a new batch of photos.
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#295705 - 27/03/2007 19:49
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: FireFox31]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/07/1999
Posts: 5546
Loc: Ajijic, Mexico
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Quote:
To that end, I'm not getting the Pentax but, at my co-workers researched recommendation, a Panasonic Lumix.
Now you are at exactly the same place I was at two weeks ago -- shopping for a Panasonic Lumix FZ50.
Be very careful where you shop for your camera. The camera sales industry is full of unethical sleazebags who do not have your best interests at heart.
You can see a few of my adventures here and here
Trust me when I tell you that the best price isn't necessarily the best deal!
From the research I have done (considerable!) on the FZ50, you will like it very much. The only downside I see with it is that with the small (physical size) CCD sensor, and the overly-large amount of megapixels (10.1) crammed onto it, noise may be a problem at ISO settings greater than 400. Some claim anything over 200 is noisy, but I don't see that in any reasonably sized sample pictures. (By noise, I am not referring to audible sound, but rather artifacts and colors washing into each other in the picture) Panasonic addresses this with their Venus III noise reduction algorithm, but the end result is noise reduction at the expense of image sharpness. I think, given the choice, I'd take the noise.
tanstaafl.
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"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"
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#295706 - 27/03/2007 23:00
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: tanstaafl.]
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stranger
Registered: 11/12/2000
Posts: 105
Loc: Seattle, WA USA
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I agree - purchase carefully. You might get a camera..."Oh, you wanted a charger with that? You wanted a battery? A power adaper? All of those are priced as accessories - didn't you know that? You want to return it, that's an $80 restocking fee, didn't you read the fine print?" There are some slimy businesses selling cameras. I swear that some must make all of their money just shipping and collecting restocking fees.
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#295707 - 28/03/2007 00:45
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: MarkM]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
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I'm ordering from B&H in nearby New York. Using the government/educational sales, my university already has a sales rep there. Seems like a pretty legit deal from a major seller. Oh, and they somehow had the lowest price around for the camera. And, even reasonable memory prices compared to my usual vendors.
I'm excited about it. Disconcerted about the unnecessarily high megapixels and noise vs. noise reduction issues, but them's the breaks in a consumer market.
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- FireFox31 110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set
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#295708 - 28/03/2007 01:13
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: FireFox31]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14486
Loc: Canada
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Quote:
I'm ordering from B&H in nearby New York.
Good choice.
Actually, it's pretty common net-knowledge that the only two big sight-unseen reputable dealers in NY are B&H and 17thSt. There may be others too, but picking them out of the masses of dodgy Brooklyn misfits (Brooklyn dodgers?) is nigh impossible.
Cheers
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#295709 - 28/03/2007 03:49
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: mlord]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
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Adorama is the other NY vendor typically considered a safe bet.
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#295710 - 28/03/2007 08:17
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: mlord]
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old hand
Registered: 14/04/2002
Posts: 1172
Loc: Hants, UK
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B&H's store is very nice too, I am visiting NYC briefly this July and am going there just to have a wander and some impulse purchasing.
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#295711 - 28/03/2007 08:39
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: g_attrill]
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addict
Registered: 23/12/2002
Posts: 652
Loc: Winston Salem, NC
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I've always ordered my equipment online from B&H and have been very satisfied. I'd love to wander around in the store sometime. I'd probably crap my pants. So if you ever see a poopy pants drooler roaming around B&H, it may possibly be me.
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#295712 - 28/03/2007 10:57
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: Cybjorg]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4174
Loc: Cambridge, England
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Quote:
I'd love to wander around in the store sometime. I'd probably crap my pants.
Respek' for B&H in their capacity of one of the few US stockists of the Trekstor Vibez.
Peter
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#295713 - 28/03/2007 11:53
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: FireFox31]
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veteran
Registered: 25/04/2000
Posts: 1523
Loc: Arizona
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The two places I use for camera gear are B&H and CameraWorld. I've only ever ordered lenses from CameraWorld, but no problem with either. I really like the B&H catalogs, fun to look at all the stuff out there.
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#295714 - 28/03/2007 19:04
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: mlord]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 13/02/2002
Posts: 3212
Loc: Portland, OR
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For the left-coasters, there's also Samy's Camera.
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#295715 - 29/03/2007 07:41
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: g_attrill]
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addict
Registered: 11/01/2002
Posts: 612
Loc: Reading, UK
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I have to admit that one thing I'd love on any digital camera is an easily accessible button that says 'reset'  In fact I'd almost want it to prompt me (say after a few hours switched off) when I turn it on: Quote:
Hey, you were playing with white balance and left it on 'flash' and that was 2 weeks ago - are you *sure* you want these "once in a lifetime" shots with a nice green tint
Hell, I could probably patent that idea 
David
PS thank goodness for GIMP - but I'd rather get it right in the camera
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LittleBlueThing
Running twin 30's
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#295716 - 29/03/2007 08:17
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: LittleBlueThing]
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enthusiast
Registered: 29/03/2005
Posts: 364
Loc: Probably lost somewhere in Wal...
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The Nikon D50 allready has that: Quote:
Green Dot (combined with self timer button). This resets many of the camera's controls to their defaults when held in along with the other green dot button on the top left of the back of the camera. This is handy at the beginning of each day, since it will reset everything from whatever whacky ISO, white balance, file format and other settings you were using the night before.
http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/d50/d50-settings-controls-top.htm
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Empeg Mk1 #00177, 2.00 final, hijack 4.76
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#295717 - 01/04/2007 23:03
Re: Tips for buying a digital SLR?
[Re: peter]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
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Quote:
Trekstor Vibez
Darn, I should have put those on my order, justifying them as "extra memory".
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- FireFox31 110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set
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